Various containers are used for transporting produce from the fields where they are grown to the markets where they are purchased. Such containers are often constructed of cardboard since this material is disposable, lightweight, and inexpensive. Unfortunately, cardboard containers tend to degrade when in contact with moisture and lack structural strength and durability. Cardboard containers also have difficulty withstanding top load forces applied to the walls of the container. Further, cardboard containers do not provide the ventilation required by most produce. Plastic containers, on the other hand, are also lightweight and inexpensive, are able to withstand a range of environmental conditions, provide structural strength even when designed for proper ventilation, and are reusable.
Although plastic containers offer many advantages over conventional cardboard containers, the disposability of cardboard is sometimes preferred if dirt and other foreign matter is encountered during the harvesting, shipping, or handling processes. For example, a container that is used for picking produce in the field may accumulate dirt from contact with the produce as well as from sitting on the ground during loading. This dirt is then transported with the container as it is shipped to the eventual retailer. If a cardboard container is used, the dirty container can simply be discarded and recycled once the produce is unloaded. If a plastic container is utilized, the dirty container is typically rinsed after unloading the produce to ensure that the container is clean and ready to reuse.
Regardless of whether cardboard or plastic containers are used, produce may often become damaged in transit from the fields to the market. Certain produce items may require special handling because of their shape, their ventilation requirements, or their capacity to be bruised. Unfortunately, one type of container is often used to transport all different kinds of produce items, such that the more delicate produce may be subject to less than ideal handling and transport conditions. Such inadequate conditions can lead to a decrease in the shelf life, appearance, and freshness of the transported products. Alternatively, different containers could be provided for different types of produce, but that is neither a practical nor cost-efficient solution.
In addition, current containers are often not well suited for displaying their contents, particularly at the point of sale. The task of investigating the contents of a particular container is even more arduous in a situation where the containers are stacked upon each other. Under these circumstances, the containers must typically be unstacked in order to identify their contents.